In Memoriam A.H.H. Analysis

Yes, we're dropping some technical poetry vocab on you. But don't check out on us yet, because it's easier to understand than you think. Let's break down what this actually means:First, a quatrain...

The poem's speaker is Tennyson, who is meditating most immediately upon the death of his close friend, Arthur, and how he gradually came to terms with it. "But wait," you ask, "are we talking about...

Things get a little tricky in the setting department because Tennyson jumps all over the place. Let's see if we can find Waldo in this picture:EnglandFirst and foremost, the poem physically takes p...

Tennyson's poem, overall, sounds quite musical and lulling (with some exceptions—more on that below), and takes advantage of multiple sound effects to get us there.He uses assonance both to provi...

"In memoriam" is fancy-pants Latin for "in memory of [insert dead person's name here]." So, we're basically talking about an obituary, folks. The poem's speaker is experiencing the various stages o...

One of Tennyson's trademarks is his frustration at being unable to express himself the way he wants to. Wait just a second—the man was the Poet Laureate of England, so he must have been able to e...

Get ready to make sure all your lines are secure and you've packed your ice screws, because we're definitely going far above Base Camp on this one. For one, In Memoriam is loooooong (obvs). But it'...

Queen Victoria was a huge fan of In Memoriam (and Tennyson in general). She went so far as to have a meaningfully-marked-up version of the poem, and professed that it helped soothe her grief after...

In this poem, the speaker is grieving over the loss of his close friend, which isn't really conducive to anything steamy. There are a few references to holding hands and hugging and some mentions o...

Son of God (all over the place, starting at 1): Jesus (also conflated with God—as in the concept of the Trinity—several times)Changeling (344): fairy child that has been left in place of a huma...